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Original poster

A level Review of Marking 2024

100 replies

Alex65 · 16/08/2024 08:38

DS was predicted 4A. He ended up with 4As but his 1st choice uni wants an A. He doesn't want to go to his insurance. He's off an A* by 1 Mark in music and 2 marks in History where the year group coursework was moderated down 4 marks. He's asked for a review of marking on 2 history papers and 1 music (the listening paper).
It's very strange that the one history paper he thought he did really well on is the lowest mark and brought his grade down along with 4 marks off the coursework. Everyone in his year bar 2 came down a grade in history and school wrote to them all to say they are appealing.
Trying to be really positive here...everything happens for a reason ect....but just reaching out on this forum for support from others in the same position or who've been through this stress before!
They are priority reviews.....do you know how long they take.....we know marks can go up and down....He's still done really well but it feels rotten that his university place is now hanging on 1 or 2 marks.

OP posts:
Original poster
Alex65 · 04/09/2024 10:28

Had to do a quick update.....we put in a review of marking for DS politics paper but not priority as he had 12 marks to get to an A star. We've just had the mark back. It went up a staggering 32 marks into comfortable A star territory. How could they have got it so wrong first time? When he first got his results we thought he'd failed to get into his top uni choice...as he hadn't got any A stars. Now he's going with 2A stars and 2 As.
Happy ending but I just keep worrying about those students without parents willing or able to do all these reviews of marking. My son rang me on results day to say could we pay but it might be £300 for all the papers. A lot can't afford that. We now don't pay for most of them as they resulted in increased grades but there's no guarantees.

OP posts:
Piggywaspushed · 04/09/2024 11:18

That sounds like at least one question wasn't marked at all!

Did the paper get downloaded first?

You are right about pushier parents etc - but also the onus it puts on schools- and individual teachers- to download and check papers to spot such anomalies.

Investinmyself · 04/09/2024 12:34

@Alex65 Glad your son got his results that’s a huge jump.
My dc is waiting on politics review.
History she was 2 off A star and they found 3 marks so she’s gone up. Made no difference to her uni offer fortunately.

NeedSomeAnswersPlease · 04/09/2024 12:37

On my a level results day I ended up with CCD. Horrendously disappointing and something didn't seem right, my school encouraged me to get a remark.

Ended up with AAB. Ended one mark off an a star in history, three in psychology and 4 marks off an a in photography. It's ridiculous

Okayornot · 04/09/2024 12:42

Alex65 · 04/09/2024 10:28

Had to do a quick update.....we put in a review of marking for DS politics paper but not priority as he had 12 marks to get to an A star. We've just had the mark back. It went up a staggering 32 marks into comfortable A star territory. How could they have got it so wrong first time? When he first got his results we thought he'd failed to get into his top uni choice...as he hadn't got any A stars. Now he's going with 2A stars and 2 As.
Happy ending but I just keep worrying about those students without parents willing or able to do all these reviews of marking. My son rang me on results day to say could we pay but it might be £300 for all the papers. A lot can't afford that. We now don't pay for most of them as they resulted in increased grades but there's no guarantees.

Crikey, that's a lot.

I still think my DD's english paper is under-marked, but at least she has an A. Problem is she was targeting (and heading for) an A* so it isn't what she should have.

I'd remark her other A but she is very close to the A/B boundary and would hate for that to go down.

This whole thing gives me no confidence in anyone's exam results. What's to say someone with 4 A stars should have them and not AABB? If I were running a top uni I'd rely much more heavily on admissions tests- too many pupils I know have lost offers because of a mark or two on one paper, and who knows whether they really got that B or should actually have had an A?

2fallsfromSSA · 11/09/2024 15:45

Disappointing news here. Not a single mark changed. DDs teachers are absolutely flummoxed. Another teacher friend has read the scripts and also agreed the marking was inaccurate.

AQA English. It is what it is I suppose Confused

Piggywaspushed · 11/09/2024 20:10

So sorry to hear that.

I got a second successful remark back today from a class of 10 students and she went up from a B to an A by the exact number of marks I suggested were not rewarded! Not English, mind.

We have had a number of successful English GCSE remarks.

2fallsfromSSA · 11/09/2024 22:08

That's good to hear some are going up. DDs teacher said she should have had an extra 8-10 marks (16-20 scaled). They don't understand ur at all.

Piggywaspushed · 12/09/2024 07:06

Unfortunately if the exam board were happy with the band the work was placed in they will keep the work there , even if it seems a few marks short per question. This can result in marks not being adjusted. They won't adjust marks within a marking band.

My students' marks went up because the marking of, in one case, one essay was put in too low a band. If all her essays were light by two to three marks but within a band (eg at the bottom of band 4 rather than the top) , it could be missing 8 marks but not be put up at all iyswim.

2fallsfromSSA · 12/09/2024 09:37

Thanks. That does help explain things. It's not great though as those (hypothetical) 8 marks would easily put her up to the next grade boundary.

Her teacher thought her essays were band 4 not band 3 but without seeing how the marks distribute she can't really shed any light. So we just have to accept it.

NOSANENE · 12/09/2024 18:28

Sorry to jump on this thread need your help ..

My son is making an appeal to AQA on the basis on marks awarded on a question in chemistry paper 2 in June 2024 exams. The reason is that we saw the exact question in a parking scheme for 2017 and the official marking scheme. However the board has responded that the appeal can not be based on another's year marking scheme. but 2024 marking scheme is not yet available. the window on appeal is closing on us. please what can you advice

MrsHamlet · 12/09/2024 19:07

The mark scheme is available but not to parents.

NOSANENE · 12/09/2024 19:19

The justification I gave the school when I made the appeal to them was based on my research of the question in a 2017 marking scheme. How can I redeem the application? The school notified me that AQA rejected the appeal on marks because I gave them the 2017 marking scheme of the same question.

TheRosesAreInBloom · 12/09/2024 19:23

Hi everyone I have just come across this thread and whilst we weren’t too worried (as my son is pursuing an accounting apprenticeship), it has made me
wonder if we can still request a review?

His grade in Politics was a C but for the duration of the course he was always graded a high B. Add to that he felt the papers went really well and it was his best subject.

As I say it’s not a major issue but perhaps something is off with the marking, it would be interesting to find out, assuming we are still in the accepted timeframe.

Would you give me a steer as to what we would need to do if we did want to pursue?

TIA

MrsHamlet · 12/09/2024 19:25

NOSANENE · 12/09/2024 19:19

The justification I gave the school when I made the appeal to them was based on my research of the question in a 2017 marking scheme. How can I redeem the application? The school notified me that AQA rejected the appeal on marks because I gave them the 2017 marking scheme of the same question.

If you have appealed and it's been turned down, the only option left is to to appeal to OFQUAL.

2fallsfromSSA · 12/09/2024 19:39

@TheRosesAreInBloom The first thing to do is contact the school exams officer and ask for the scripts, they should be back the same day or the next. This is free but he will need to sign a form. Then ask your son's politics teacher if he would review them. Bear in mind all review does is see if the mark scheme has been correctly applied, it's not a remark as such. My daughter is getting one sociology paper reviewed (she was one mark off an A) as her teacher thought the mark scheme had been applied harshly but probably correctly on papers 1 and 3. He felt her essays in paper 2 should have been in the higher band so worth a review. It's important to understand what they actually do in a review. The deadline for submitting a request is 26 September for AQA, other boards may be different. It's about £50 per paper but you get it back if the grade changes. HTH

TheRosesAreInBloom · 12/09/2024 20:26

2fallsfromSSA · 12/09/2024 19:39

@TheRosesAreInBloom The first thing to do is contact the school exams officer and ask for the scripts, they should be back the same day or the next. This is free but he will need to sign a form. Then ask your son's politics teacher if he would review them. Bear in mind all review does is see if the mark scheme has been correctly applied, it's not a remark as such. My daughter is getting one sociology paper reviewed (she was one mark off an A) as her teacher thought the mark scheme had been applied harshly but probably correctly on papers 1 and 3. He felt her essays in paper 2 should have been in the higher band so worth a review. It's important to understand what they actually do in a review. The deadline for submitting a request is 26 September for AQA, other boards may be different. It's about £50 per paper but you get it back if the grade changes. HTH

This is really helpful, thank you very much!

NOSANENE · 12/09/2024 20:35

Is ofqual the second stage of the appeal?

MrsHamlet · 12/09/2024 20:39

No. You said you have appealed. I assumed you meant both stages. OFQUAL comes after that.

NOSANENE · 12/09/2024 21:23

I want to go on to the second stage, do I then ask the school to attach the 2024 marking scheme. is it possible that AQA decline the appeal rather than deny it? it seemed that's what happened here. It's for 1 mark though but the only chance for getting his offer

MrsHamlet · 12/09/2024 21:32

You seem to be suggesting that you want them to use a past mark scheme to mark this year's paper. Why would they do that for one candidate out of thousands?

2fallsfromSSA · 16/09/2024 11:15

Just wanted to share good news. Dds sociology went from a C to a B. They found 6 extra marks as two essays were in the wrong mark band. So very happy here.

catndogslife · 16/09/2024 17:59

NOSANENE · 12/09/2024 18:28

Sorry to jump on this thread need your help ..

My son is making an appeal to AQA on the basis on marks awarded on a question in chemistry paper 2 in June 2024 exams. The reason is that we saw the exact question in a parking scheme for 2017 and the official marking scheme. However the board has responded that the appeal can not be based on another's year marking scheme. but 2024 marking scheme is not yet available. the window on appeal is closing on us. please what can you advice

Mark-schemes do vary from year-to-year though, even if questions are similar, so AQA are correct.

Piggywaspushed · 16/09/2024 18:06

2fallsfromSSA · 16/09/2024 11:15

Just wanted to share good news. Dds sociology went from a C to a B. They found 6 extra marks as two essays were in the wrong mark band. So very happy here.

Brilliant news! I teach sociology and have seen really mean spirited marking this year. I suspect non specialist markers...

2fallsfromSSA · 17/09/2024 11:42

Thank you, that's what her teacher said too.

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